Luminous photo frame

ABSTRACT

A luminous photo frame includes an outer frame assembly having a light transmittable section, a reflector plate arranged in the outer frame assembly, a light guide plate arranged between the reflector plate and the light transmittable section, a light emission element opposing an edge of the light guide plate, a brightness enhancement film arranged between the light guide plate and the light transmittable section, and a light-transmitting surface panel mounted to the outer frame assembly to be adjacent to the light transmittable section. To use, a traditional photo is first deposited at one side of the light-transmitting surface panel and the light emission element is activated to emit light, which is guided and spread by the light guide plate and reflected by the reflector plate for projecting toward the light transmittable section to pass through the brightness enhancement film and transmit through the light transmittable section and the traditional photo.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a luminous photo frame, and more particularly to a luminous photo frame that is capable of displaying the exquisite, delicate, and rich colors of a traditional photo and is also capable of displaying the traditional photo in a condition of lacking of an external light source.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Photo frames include traditional frames and digital photo frames. The traditional frames are just structured to receive and hold therein one or more photos that are printed on paper sheets and they are generally not structured to give off light. In an environment where the surrounding light is insufficient, the traditional paper-based photos cannot be observed clearly, because the traditional photos must be lighted up by a surrounding light source in order to be seen, otherwise the photos will become darkened and hard to see.

The digital photo frames are generally structured to emit light themselves, yet to obtain the same clearness and richness of colors as those of the traditional paper-based photos, the digital photo frames must be of an extremely high number of pixels. Purchasing such a digital photo frame having an extremely high number of pixels is certainly an economic burden for the purchasing cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a luminous photo frame that is capable of displaying the exquisite, delicate, and rich colors of a traditional photo and is also capable of displaying the traditional photo in a condition of lacking of an external light source.

The primary object of the present invention is to display the fine clearness and sharpness and the richness of color of traditional photos.

Another object of the present invention is to clearly display a traditional photo even through the surrounding lighting is insufficient.

The present invention comprises an outer frame assembly. The outer frame assembly comprises a light transmittable section arranged at one side thereof. The outer frame assembly comprises therein a reflector plate corresponding to the light transmittable section. A light guide plate is arranged between the reflector plate and the light transmittable section. A light emission element is arranged to oppose an edge of the light guide plate. A brightness enhancement film is arranged between the light guide plate and the light transmittable section. At least one light-transmitting surface panel is mounted to the outer frame assembly to be adjacent to the light transmittable section. The light-transmitting surface panel may receive a traditional photo positioned at one side thereof. To use the present invention, a traditional photo is first deposited at one side of the light-transmitting surface panel and the light emission element is activated to emit light. The light transmits and spreads along the light guide plate to have the light homogeneously distributed over the light guide plate. The light may also be reflected by the reflector plate to travel toward the light transmittable section in order to save energy. The light, before passing through the light transmittable section, is first subjected to condensation by the brightness enhancement film for enhancing brightness. The light, after passing through the light transmittable section, illuminates the rear side of the traditional photo and transmits through and exits the front side of the photo. With such a technique, the problems of the conventional photo frames that it is not possible to clearly see the photo when the photo frame is located in a dark environment where surrounding lighting is insufficient and it is not possible to display a exquisite and delicate image and richness of colors in the same way as a traditional photo or being expensive can be overcome to thereby achieve practical advantages that allows for displaying of the exquisite and delicate image and rich colors of a traditional photo and also allows for displaying of the traditional photo even when the surrounding lighting is insufficient.

The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, particularly showing a power socket thereof

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing an exchange opening.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing a push opening.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing depositing a traditional photo in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an operation of exchanging traditional photos for the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention positioned in a horizontal landscape condition.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention positioned in a vertical portrait condition.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention set in a wall-suspended condition.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the present invention comprises an outer frame assembly 1, at least one light transmittable section 11, at least one reflector plate 21, at least one light guide plate 22, at least one light emission element 23, at least one brightness enhancement film 24, and at least one light-transmitting surface panel 5. The outer frame assembly 1 comprises at least one light transmittable section 11 arranged at one side thereof for the transmission of light therethrough, a retention frame 12 for receiving and retaining the light transmittable section 11 (where the light transmittable section 11 and the retention frame 12 are integrated together as a unit as an example for illustration in the instant embodiment), and at least one back cover 13 arranged at the side of the retention frame 12 that is opposite to the light transmittable section 11. The outer frame assembly 1 has two opposite edges in which at least one exchange section 14 and at least one push section 15 are respectively formed. The reflector plate 21 is arranged in the outer frame assembly 1 to correspond to the light transmittable section 11. The light guide plate 22 is arranged between the reflector plate 21 and the light transmittable section 11. The light emission element 23 is arranged to oppose an edge of the light guide plate 22. The light emission element 23 can be a light-emitting diode (LED). The brightness enhancement film 24 is arranged between the light guide plate 22 and the light transmittable section 11. The outer frame assembly 1 receives therein a control element 25 electrically connected with the light emission element 23 and an electricity accumulation element 26 electrically connected with the control element 25. The control element 25 is electrically connected to two power sockets 32 that are respectively mounted to two adjacent side edges of the outer frame assembly 1. The power sockets 32 are structured to comply with universal serial bus (USB) specification to facilitate transmission of electrical power and also to allow for connection with USB plugs of for example computers to achieve easy and convenient use by being not necessary to receive power supply through an AC adaptor. The control element 25 is electrically connected with at least one light adjusting element 33 arranged at one side edge of the outer frame assembly 1 and at least one switch element 31 mounted to the outer frame assembly 1. The light adjusting element 33 and the switch element 31 are preferably arranged in such a way as not to project beyond an edge of the light-transmitting surface panel 5 to avoid erroneous contact and actuation. The light-transmitting surface panel 5 is mounted to the outer frame assembly 1 to be adjacent to the light transmittable section 11 in such a way that the light-transmitting surface panel 5 and the outer frame assembly 1 define therebetween at least one receiving space 4 corresponding to the light transmittable section 11 for receiving a traditional photo 6 to be deposited therein. The receiving space 4 is in communication with an exchange opening 41 formed at one side thereof adjacent to the exchange section 14 for exchanging photos and also in communication with a push opening 42 formed at one side thereof adjacent to the push section 15 for easy pushing of the traditional photo 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1-9, the drawings clearly show that to use the present invention, a traditional photo 6 is first inserted through the exchange opening 41 into the receiving space 4 until the traditional photo 6 contacts an inner-end side wall of the receiving space 4 while partially projecting out of the push opening 42, or alternatively, the traditional photo 6 that has been placed in the photo frame is first moved by pushing a portion thereof projecting outside the push opening 42 through the push section 15 so as to force the traditional photo 6 to move toward the exchange opening 41, whereby the traditional photo 6 can be withdrawn through the exchange section 14 for replacement. The operation of replacement is thus very easy and efficient.

Then, the switch element 31 is operated to cause the control element 25 to activate the light emission element 23 for emission of light, where a portion of the light enters the light guide plate 22 to be guided and spread thereby so that the light may be completely distributed through the light guide plate 22 for homogenous outward projection. Further, a portion of the light is subjected to reflection on the reflector plate 21 to project toward the light transmittable section 11. The light that is projected to the light transmittable section 11 is subjected to condensation through the brightness enhancement film 24 to improve visual brightness and then passes through the light transmittable section 11. The light directly illuminates the back side of the traditional photo 6 and transmits through and exits the front side of the traditional photo 6. Thus, the exquisite and delicate image and the richness of color of the traditional photo can be fully displayed through the light transmitting therethrough. Even in a condition where the surrounding lighting is poor or even null, the traditional photo 6 can still be displayed and observed. If necessary, the light adjusting element 33 can be operated to control, through the control element 25 and in a manually operating manner, the brightness of the light emitting from the light emission element 23.

Further, the present invention provides power sockets 32 respectively on two adjacent side edges of the outer frame assembly 1 so that connection with an external power source can be easily done without being affected by the posture of positioning of for example being in a horizontal landscape condition, a vertical portrait condition, or even in a wall-suspended condition.

Referring to FIG. 10, in a different embodiment, the present invention comprises at least one control element 25 a and at least one light emission element 23 a electrically connected with the control element 25 a. A difference of the instant embodiment from the previous embodiment is that the instant embodiment comprises at least one light detection element 34 a in information communication with the control element 25 a to enable automatic adjustment of the brightness of the light emitting from the light emission element 23 a.

Thus, the technical features that the luminous photo frame of the preset invention adopts to improve the prior art are as follows:

(1) The combined arrangement of the light emission element 23, the light guide plate 22, the reflector plate 21, and the brightness enhancement film 24 allows for displaying of the exquisite and delicate image and richness of colors of a traditional photo 6 and also allows for displaying the traditional photo 6 in a condition of lacking of an external light source.

(2) The combination of the exchange opening 41, the push opening 42, the exchange section 14, and the push section 15 achieves a practical advantage of easy, convenient, and efficient deposition and exchange of photos.

(3) The arrangement of power sockets 32 on two adjacent side edges of the outer frame assembly 1 helps provide the convenience of positioning of the power socket 32.

(4) The combination of the control element 25, the light adjusting element 33, and the light detection element 34 a provides convenience of adjusting the light brightness.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 

I claim:
 1. A luminous photo frame, comprising: an outer frame assembly, wherein outer frame assembly comprises at least one light transmittable section arranged at one side thereof for transmission of light therethrough; at least one reflector plate, wherein the reflector plate is arranged in the outer frame assembly to correspond to the light transmittable section so as to have light projected toward the light transmittable section; at least one light guide plate arranged between the reflector plate and the light transmittable section, wherein the light guide plate is located between the reflector plate and the light transmittable section so as to have light homogeneously projected toward the light transmittable section; at least one light emission element that emits light, the light emission element being arranged to oppose an edge of the light guide plate; at least one brightness enhancement film, wherein the brightness enhancement film is arranged between the light guide plate and the light transmittable section; and at least one light-transmitting surface panel, wherein the light-transmitting surface panel is mounted to the outer frame assembly to be adjacent to the light transmittable section, the light-transmitting surface panel having a side where a traditional photo is positionable to allow the light to transmit from a back side of the traditional photo to a front side thereof.
 2. The luminous photo frame according to claim 1, wherein the outer frame assembly comprises a retention frame for receiving and retaining the light transmittable section and at least one back cover arranged at a side of the retention frame that is opposite to the light transmittable section.
 3. The luminous photo frame according to claim 1, wherein the outer frame assembly has two opposite edges in which at least one exchange section and at least one push section are respectively formed, the light-transmitting surface panel and the outer frame assembly defining therebetween at least one receiving space corresponding to the light transmittable section for receiving a traditional photo to be deposited therein, the receiving space being in communication with an exchange opening formed at one side thereof adjacent to the exchange section for exchanging the traditional photo, the receiving space being also in communication with a push opening formed at one side thereof adjacent to the push section for easy pushing of the traditional photo to achieve efficient exchange of the traditional photo through pushing.
 4. The luminous photo frame according to claim 1, wherein the light emission element comprises a light-emitting diode (LED) and the outer frame assembly comprises therein a control element electrically connected with the light emission element, the control element being electrically connected with at least one switch element mounted to the outer frame assembly.
 5. The luminous photo frame according to claim 4, wherein the outer frame assembly has two adjacent side edges each comprising at least one power socket mounted thereto and electrically connected with the control element to allow for positioning of the outer frame assembly in different directions, the power sockets being in compliance with universal serial bus (USB) specifications for easy transmission of electrical power.
 6. The luminous photo frame according to claim 5, wherein the outer frame assembly is positionable in a vertical portrait condition, a horizontal landscape condition, or a wall-suspended condition.
 7. The luminous photo frame according to claim 5, wherein the control element is electrically connected with at least one electricity accumulation element mounted in the outer frame assembly.
 8. The luminous photo frame according to claim 4, wherein the control element is electrically connected with at least one light adjusting element mounted to one side edge of the outer frame assembly for manual operation of adjusting brightness emitting from the light emission element.
 9. The luminous photo frame according to claim 8, wherein the light adjusting element and the switch element are arranged not to project beyond an edge of the light-transmitting surface panel for preventing erroneous contact and actuation.
 10. The luminous photo frame according to claim 4, wherein the outer frame assembly comprises at least one light detection element in information communication with the control element for automatic adjustment of brightness emitting from the light emission element. 